Home Games For 2009 Inaugural Season To Be Played At Hillsboro Stadium

Portland, Oregon (03/02/09)

The Portland Rain of the Pacific Conference of the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) have announced Hillsboro Stadium as their venue for all home games during the team's inaugural Summer 2009 season. The Portland organization worked in conjunction with the City of Hillsboro Parks & Recreation Department to confirm the 7,000-seat stadium as the home of the Rain.

Portland will play at least 10 home games in 2009, including four friendly matches with opponents from around the Pacific Northwest as the Rain tunes up for the WPSL regular season, which is set to begin the last weekend in May.

"Hillsboro Stadium is a wonderful facility and a great fit for us," said interim Head Coach Stan Rodrigues. "It's easy to get to, and it's a very community-oriented venue, which fits perfectly with what we're about at the Rain. People will be entertained by quality of play we're going to have, and it will be a great activity to come out with the family and enjoy a great evening of soccer at a great soccer facility."

Hillsboro Stadium features a 170,000 square foot Astroturf field that has played host to a number of sports including baseball, football, lacrosse, soccer and more. The main grandstand is on the south side of the field stadium and features seating for 7,000 spectators, covered seats, locker rooms, team training facilities and full concession stands.

On August 9, 2008, the stadium hosted a regular season game between the Philadelphia Barrage and the New Jersey Pride of Major League Lacrosse (MLL). With attendance totaling 3,687, Hillsboro Stadium is mentioned as the likely home of any MLL team that may be awarded to or relocate to Portland.

"The City of Hillsboro is delighted that Hillsboro Stadium will be the home field of the exciting new Portland Rain women's soccer team," said Hillsboro Parks & Recreation Community Resources Manager Corinne Bloomfield. "The WPSL level of play brings a high quality sports experience to families and soccer enthusiasts in the Hillsboro/Portland area."

Past tenants have included the Portland State University football team in 2000 when then Civic Stadium was being renovated. In May 2001, the University of Oregon Ducks football team held their annual Spring Game at the stadium, an event which included future NFL quarterbacks Joey Harrington and Jason Fife.

Designed by GBD Architects, the stadium was named one of 1999's Best Public Project Award recipients by AIA Western International. The facility also won the 2000 Design Award of Merit from International Illumination Design Award.

The WPSL is set to release its full schedule in early March. The Portland Rain launches its inaugural WPSL season in May 2009, joining the Pacific-North Division. For more information, you can visit their website at http://www.portlandrainfc.com. You can contact General Manager Stacy Troiano by phone at (503) 764-2396 (ext. 2) or by email at stacy@portlandrainfc.com.

The Portland Rain of the Pacific Conference of the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) have announced they will host the Argentina Women's National Team in an international friendly this summer during its inaugural season. The match will be played on Thursday, July 16th at 7:30 p.m. at Hillsboro Stadium.

The Argentina WNT competed in both the 2007 Women's World Cup hosted by China and the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Argentina upset Brazil in the 2006 Sudamericano Femenino to win the tournament, which helped them qualify for both competitions.

"Playing a national team is quite an honor," said Portland Interim Head Coach Stan Rodrigues. "Argentina has such a rich history of soccer which presents an amazing opportunity for the Rain and for Portland. Hosting a game of this caliber in Portland is a great experience for a thriving soccer community and also for the Argentina players who get to experience a new part of the world in a city with a lot to offer. Chances like this do not come around often."

The Portland Rain season begins with a friendly on Sunday, May 3rd and runs through August, with the 2009 WPSL Final Four taking place on August 1st and 2nd in New York. The friendly against Argentina will be the home finale for the Rain, with the full Summer 2009 schedule set to be released later this week that will have 11 home games including four friendly matches and seven regular season WPSL games.

The WPSL has had a long history of competing against various national teams in the past - with a long history of giving these teams all they can handle - as both the Australia & Mexican National Teams have been defeated by WPSL member teams. In other matches versus international competition, Ghana was defeated by the 2008 Pacific-North champion California Storm by a 1-0 score amidst their preparations for the 2007 WWC & held the USWNT scoreless for over 72 minutes in an exhibition match. In 2005, the New England Mutiny of the East Conference had China down by a 3-1 score in front of over 3,000 people in Agawam, MA before succumbing to a 4-3 defeat in the final minutes.

You can pre-order tickets for the Argentina game and the 2009 season now by visiting http://www.portlandrainfc.com or by calling 503-764-2396 today - tickets are limited and going fast! The Portland Rain launches its inaugural WPSL season in May 2009, joining the Pacific-North Division. For more information, you can contact General Manager Stacy Troiano by phone at 503-764-2396 (ext. 2) or by email at Stacy@portlandrainfc.com.

The Portland Rain will hold its second open tryout session this Saturday, March 21st from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Stott Recreation Field at Portland State University. Tryouts are open to players 16 and older who are eligible in accordance with all NCAA regulations. Saturday's tryouts will be the second of three open tryout dates, with the final date coming a week later on March 28th.

I wouldn't be suprised if they get a WPS promotion in a few years since their USL men are getting promoted to MLS. Football in the Pacific Northwest US is crazy. They foam at the mouth for it, and with Seattle winning this past Thursday, and Vancouver and Portland getting promotions to MLS over the next few years, I really think Rain will get a WPS call up, persay.